Fallout Falls
by DipperTheSnakePerson
Summary: {Total AU} Dipper never imagined the bombs would drop leaving him alone, he never imagined the world as he knew it ending, he never imagined going to sleep and not waking up for hundreds of years but it all happened. Now Dipper Pines is forced into a struggle for survival against radiation, mutants, and humanity itself. Why? Because war...war never changes.
1. It's All Over

**OOPS LOOK AT ME GO! ANOTHER STORY WHEN MY OTHER THREE NEED TO BE UPDATED! WILL I EVER LEARN? I love this one so much though, will likely update it a lot faster then my others.**

 **CONTAINS DIPPERS REAL NAME**

 **SPOILERS**

 **Anyway this may go up in rating due to gore. Based On fallout games but no knowledge is needed to read this.**

Dipper Pines, aged 18, sat at his desk typing away on his computer, wiping his forehead to remove sweat as the house was impossibly hot. His mom was cooking downstairs and it was a warm summer day, plus he was upstairs making it almost unbearable. He chose to stay up here however, his father had wanted to go hunting but Dipper passed, he wanted to finish his homework so Mabel went instead. He leaned back and looked out the window with a sigh. He felt on edge, a feeling in the back of his brain told him something was wrong...but that feeling had been there for a while and most adults prided him on that fact. They said it would make him great at catching spies. Spies….his science teacher had been taken away for reportedly being a spy, likely a student didn't like their mark and made a false report. Nobody knows what happened to him but Dipper knew he wouldn't be coming back. War made people think funny, not trust anyone…

Dipper frowned, looking outside and seeing his neighbours playing frisbee one wouldn't think there was a war going on. They were lucky, most families were digging for scraps and water. They had his dad's military career to thank for the fact they were living comfortable. The war had made life go down the gutter, that much was obvious. Precious resources gone and now the world powers were in a desperate struggle for what remained. While he was thankful they were living as they were, he couldn't help but feel it wa only temporary.

He tapped his pen against his chin before getting up, he couldn't work with an empty stomach and that meatloaf smelled really good. So he went to the stairs and slid down the banister, nearly face planting but managing to land on his feet.

"Dipper, could you set the table please?" Mother called out from the kitchen. "Mabel and your father should be home soon!" She had to speak over the Tv that had been left on the news network. Dipper made a mental note to turn it off once he did what his mom had asked.

"Sure mom!" He carefully balanced the plates and utensils as he started to place them down in an orderly fashion. He was just about to get the cups when there was a knock at the door.

"Dipper could you get that?" he nodded and went to the door, slowly peeking it open with a frown.

"Morning! Vault-tec calling!" ohh great, it was one of these guys. Dipper internally groaned, he never liked vault-tec to begin with. Preying on the people's fear of a nuclear war. He had run the calculations himself and the chances of it happening were a lot less than what they advertised. The underground bunkers were over priced and may very well prove useless in the end.

'We're not interested bud-"

"Mason is that vault tec?" His mom walked over, brushing her hands off on her gown and gesturing Dipper to walk away from the door. He backed up and crossed his arms as his mom started to fill out the paperwork needed for entry. Great, there goes the money for a new computer. Rolling his eyes he went back to placing the cups, his mother entering the dining room a few minutes later. "Look….it's peace of mind, it's worth it in the end right?" Dipper looked over at her, standing straight. He had outgrew her a while ago, her and Mabel, much to his twins disappointment. He had grown to an impressive height of 6'2, not quite beating his Dad's 6'4. Who knew, he may still have a growth spurt left in him. Now if only he wasn't so..noodle like.

He sat down and turned to look at the TV. He was unimpressed. They had invented robots, plasma rifles, computers for the wrist even! And yet the television was still limited to black and white. In some ways it was like the US never really left the 1950s. He looked at his mom's clothing and back to the tv. Definitely stuck in the 50s. It had been this way for nearly a hundred years, he doubted it would change anytime soon.

"Onto the weather. Bright sunny skies are predicted for the following week, perfect time for that picnic you've been putting off-" Dipper started to tune out, waiting for Mabel and Dad to get home so they could start eating. What was taking them so long?

"Mason? Could you turn the television up please?" He went over and turned the dial up, getting ready to take a seat again when one of the words spoken caught his attention.

"And in other news….wait...hold on...We're..we're just reaching contact with our fellow stations..we have confirmed, yes confirmed, reports of..nuclear detonation in New York and Pennsylvania...oh god"

There was the sound of a shattering plate as Mom dropped her plate in surprise and covering her mouth in surprise as Dipper stood still in stunned silence before moving, nearly falling. "W-We gotta find Dad and Mabel!" He grabbed her hand and started towards the door, outside was a mess. Neighbours screaming and running as military airships and helicopters flew overhead. Ground soldiers were ordering people around.

"MABEL! DA-' Dipper was nearly knocked over by someone running by.

A man in uniform was shouting. "ALL VAULT PARTICIPANTS MAKE WAY TO VAULT 111. EVERYONE ELSE FIND SHELTER"

"Mason we gotta meet them at the vault!" His mom tugged on his arm. "That's where they would go!"

"W-what if they come here to look for us first?" Dipper looked around, grinding his teeth to keep calm in the panic.

"We can't find them if we're dead!" Dipper knew she was right but he wasn't ready to give up.

"Okay then you go!' He slightly pushed his mom ahead. "GO! I'LL MEET YOU THERE!"

"MASON PINES Y-" She was cut off as Dipper ran against the crowd.

"MABEL! DAD!" He cupped his hands around his mouth as he ran, he stopped at the back, no one else was ahead of him..that meant either they were still out in the woods...or at the vault. He felt his legs shake as he had to choose. Mom was right...can't find them if you're dead. He turned and sprinted back, ducking and dodging to get to the vault entrance. Around him were people trying to repack their broken suitcases. Up ahead was a heavily guarded fence gate. People were being turned back...or...shot if they tried to run by. He tried to ignore it but the screams were loud enough he could have sworn they were right beside.

A man in uniform holding a checklist looked at Dipper, obviously very annoyed at all the people not on the list trying to get in.

"Name?"

It took him a second to stutter it out, almost saying his nickname instead. "M-mason Pines…"

The man grabbed his arm and pulled him in before letting go and turning back to the crowd. Dipper tumbled over to the crowd on the platform. He was so shocked that it took him a moment to register the bone crushing hug his mom had on him. This was really happening.

The platform started to lower itself and that was enough to get Dipper looking around. "DAD! MABEL!" He looked down. "Mom where are they?!" Her choked out was his answer. He looked around, hoping that maybe she had missed them. "M-maybe..maybe there's another entrance…" it was the only thing he could tell himself as the ground shook and the world above turned to hell.

Once the platform reached the bottom the air had gone cool, likely the result of multiple air conditioners. People in blue jumpsuits and doctor coats came to gesture them down the white hallways but most people, Pines included, were in too much shock to follow.

"Everyone down the hallway please, don't worry...we will explain everything to you about your new home. Vault 111, a better future for you"

It felt like he was on auto pilot when he started walking. Around the bend was the identification process. He was giving a blue suit with yellow lines and words 'Vault 111' stitched on the back and a curtain to change behind. He waited for his mom before a doctor walked up to him.

"Follow me please. We're almost done the initial process."

His mother spoke up quietly. "How...how long will we be down here?"

"We'll be going over that in orientation. For now we need to do a quick medical check up."

He stopped them once they reached a room with what appeared to be giant pods.

"Step inside the decontamination pod. It's just there to clean you up and get you ready for the pressure before we head deeper in."

He hugged his mom closer, not wanting to leave her side already, if even for a few more moments. She obviously felt the same as she hugged back as the others got into their pods.

"It won't take long...right?" Dipper didn't trust this at all, not one bit, but what choice did he have?"

"It will only take a few seconds."

And she after one more tight squeeze, mother and son went into opposing pods and watched as the lid came down, sealing it shut. A calm robotic voice spoke to him.

"Resident secure….occupants vitals...normal...procedure complete"

Why wasn't it opening?

"In 5…"

Why was the window starting to get frost on it?

"4….3"

He couldn't move.

"2..."

Vision gone dark.

"1"


	2. Up and Atom

**Thanks for the reviews on fanfiction! I will do my best to explain all your questions! And to answer your question justTHATguyOVERthere, yes I will explain the war and companies in greater detail in due time! Thanks for the interest.**

 **Also dates are given, please note in this world its the future..aka it started at 2077 but the culture never left the 50s. Super intelligent AI, laser and plasma rifles exist but it's all 50s style.**

 **Also fallout fans, this isn't fallout 4, it's a mix of every fallout game ever with original twists to it.**

It felt like mere seconds before he was opening his eyes again. What happened? He felt stiff, too stiff. It took all his effort to just move his eyes. Where was the doctor? It took a few seconds before his vision cleared and he saw two people in front of him, clearly not doctors or vault staff. One of them, a man, was wearing what looked like something from a fantasy novel. Leather armour with spikes on the shoulders. If that wasn't confusing enough the other one was wearing a..biohazard suit? Why?

"Get the blood sample and let's go." The man in armour spoke up, impatient.

"I'm working on it" the voice coming from the suit was feminine. She opened the lid via a console and grabbed Dipper's arm.

"W...what are you….." it was tiring to speak.

"Shh..it's alright.' She spoke as she slowly put a needle in his arm, drawing blood.

Dipper only felt a pinch, and before he had the chance to do anything else the lid sealed again and the frost was returning, the last thing he saw before being forced into sleep was the two walking away.

He really hated waking up. Even more so when you felt like a stone statue coming to life. Everything was sore and hurt to move. He tried to take a step, misjudged it and fell onto his hands and knees outside his pod.

"Critical failure in cryogenic pods. All vault residents must vacate immediately"

Dipper's mouth was dry and tasted like salt and iron. He had to listen to the automated message three times before it actually clicked in his brain. Someone had gone wrong and it kicked him out...

He looked around and frowned. Why wasn't anyone else getting up? Where was mom? Mom! He forced himself to stand up, leaning against his pod before he managed to take the few steps needed to reach her pod. She looked like she was still asleep but why hadn't she woken up like he had? He turned his gaze to the console beside her.

' _Abnormality detected…Resident decreased...Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to Life Support failure. '_

Decreased..his mom..she was...she was….

Dipper weakly cried out "H-Hello!?...A-Anyone?! She needs help!" he stook a few shaky steps down the hallway, getting stronger with every one. "vault -tec? Hello!" All the other consoles said the same. They were all dead

He slowly picked up speed till he found himself jogging, the air was cold, colder then he remembered. The once shiny metal walls seemed dull with faint traces of rust. How long had they been asleep?

He reached a sliding door, pressed the button and watched the door slide up. He had expected to see maybe a person, not a cockroach as big as a cat! He fell back, landing on his lower back and let out a girly scream at the giant bug.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!" He grabbed a nearby cup from a table and threw it at the critter while he stood up. Said cup only seemed to annoy it because it..hissed...and started crawling towards him. Dipper did what any man would do..climbed onto the table and started to throw things at it. There had to be a way to remove the thing.

He caught sight of a broom and grabbed it, swatting at the insect

.

"GO AWAYYYY"

He must have hit it a bit too hard because after a while it finally stopped moving, leaving a scared Dipper wondering how such a thing came to be. Slowly leaving the table he went back to searching for help...or an explanation.

He peeked into a room and found a working computer. He walked over slowly, looking at the files and emails available. He clicked the first one

' _CONFIDENTIAL_

 _SECURITY EYES ONLY | VIOLATION VTP-01011_

 _Vault 111 is designed to test the long-term effects of suspended animation on unaware, human subjects. Security staff are responsible for maintaining installation integrity and monitoring science staff activity._

 _Under no circumstances are staff allowed to deviate from assigned duties. Insubordination or interference with vault operations are capital offenses. Security staff are authorized to use lethal force.'_

He dig his nails into the desk in an attempt to calm down. Vault-Tec tricked them..they LIED to them, and because of them his mom was DEAD!

He felt sick, he wanted to throw up, would have if he had any food in his stomach. This was just some sort of sick science experiment where they were the lab rats. Vault-tec didn't care about protecting mankind from nuclear threats, they just wanted an excuse for human test subjects!

He shuddered, if they did this at vault 111...what did they do to the other vaults? He had no doubt all of them had some sick motive.

He was ready to move on, tell he saw there were personal logs. Maybe those would tell him what happened here.

 _October 23rd 2077_

 _God. It finally happened. The world's over. Barely got all the residents inside. Not everyone made it..._

 _Now it's just us and the icebergs. I don't get it. Eggheads tried to explain to me that keeping them frozen is a big experiment. For a better future or something. I don't know. It just doesn't seem right that we were smiling at them all that time before putting them on ice. Shouldn't we have told them something?_

"Damn straight you should have told us." he darkly muttered under his breath, moving on to the next entry.

 _December 25 2077_

 _Christmas underground. Got together with the rest of the security boys and support staff and had a little party. Best gift that got handed out was a Fancy Lad Snack Cake that wasn't too stale._

 _None of the scientists came. Overseer wasn't there either. I just don't get them. They hiding something from us? Another company secret only for the higher ups?_

 _Whatever. Just a few more months until the All-Clear is supposed to come though. Then we can start rebuilding._

He looked around. Is that what happened? Had they been given the all clear, abandoning the ones they froze? Would he exit the vault and see the world was fine. Rebuilt by those who had survived. A flicker of hope made itself known. Maybe he would get out and it would all be fine. Meet his teachers, classmates. The only difference being slight radiation...How long was he asleep for anyway? It couldn't have been that long...right?

 _March 14th 2078_

 _Only a few weeks left in our mandatory shelter period. Everyone's getting stir crazy. Some people are even saying the All-Clear Signal is never coming. We can't stay here much longer, that's for sure. It's not just the fact that I've been staring at the same break room and bunk bed for over six months. It's the fact that we only have enough food left for another few months. Tops._

 _The Overseer keeps telling everyone to be patient, focus on work. He's definitely keeping us out of the loop. Something bad is going on. I just know it._

He sneered. Bad? Something worse than the frozen, nearly dead families you locked up?

 _April 28 2078_

 _The main door accessing the vault exit is malfunctioning. Now the only way out is through the Overseer's evacuation tunnel, how convenient for him. He has one of the science team watching the door into his office at all times from a little makeshift checkpoint._

 _Got invited to a meeting tonight. Support staffers and security only. Sounds like I'm not the only one with an axe to grind._

A rebellion….maybe they killed each other leaving nothing behind..but..where would the bodies be? He furrowed his eyebrows. Had he missed them? He didn't take the time to explore….

The next and final entry had no date.

 _No All-Clear from Vault-Tec is coming. We need to leave. We're all but out of food. I almost murdered Stanley for dropping a damn salt cracker on the floor._

 _A handful of us confronted the Overseer about opening up the Vault. I never knew a man that small could shout that loud. Now he's locked himself in his office along with the rest of the science staff. We're supposed to hand over any food, weapons, and medicine we have by tonight, or there's "going to be consequences."_

 _I've talked to everyone. It's time. One way or another, we're getting out of this Vault._

He turned off the computer and sighed, letting it all process. So there was a rebellion of sorts. His only exit was in the overseer's room. Thats where he was heading. He left the room and stopped dead in his tracks...there was the answer to his question about the bodies.

There in the middle of the hallway..was a skeleton in a blue jumpsuit, in its bony fingers was a pistol. He slowly bent down, grabbing the weapon with shaky hands. A skeleton...that takes anywhere from eight to twelve years...He checked the ammo, counting four bullets remained. With a shaky gulp he kept moving forward.

The overseer's room was right up ahead meaning the exit was not far behind. Maybe the overseer was still alive? Maybe he had left clues on what to do if someone woke up. Maybe he-

Beside the desk was a skeleton in the blue jumpsuit with overseer in yellow stitched on it.

He shook his head sadly, going over to the computer.

 _September 17th 2077_

 _The final staff orientation is complete, all but a few of the residents down in Sanctuary Hills have been enrolled, and several from Concord as well. Vault-Tec supervisors came up this week to do a technical review with me. This Vault is ready to open._

 _I can only imagine what wonders our residents will get to witness. The notion of leaping forward in time - I almost wish I could join them and see the promise of our future realized._

Dipper wondered if in the case an afterlife was real, he said these same words to the people who didn't make it to see the future. Would he even say sorry, or just write it off as a mistake.

 _October 23rd 2077_

 _It's happened. We were lucky that most of the staff was nearby when the early warning came through. We had less notice than expected, but only Nordhagen was missing when we sealed the entrance._

 _Resident Admittance went smoothly. Everyone made it, even the family that waited till the last minute. I was worried there would be more suspicion, but things happened so fast for these people. They must have been too overwhelmed to question the cryogenic pods._

 _November 14th 2077_

 _Strange issue today with pod C3. Subject appeared to be having heart palpations. Nothing life-threatening, but unusual. We realized almost too late that the pod was malfunctioning. The cryogenic array almost started thawing her out._

 _We're not sure, but I suspect a hiccup in Vault-Tec's remote override systems may have sent an errant signal. We'll have to keep an eye out. I only hope their systems are reliable once we evacuate the staff._

"No..no they aren't" He looked down, the realisation that his mom was gone because their faulty technology. The fact that he, for some odd reason, was the only survivor of this experiment.

 _March 14th 2078_

 _There's been no All-Clear Signal yet, even though we're nearing the end of the 180 day Mandatory Shelter Period. Supplies were never intended to last much more than that, and despite my best efforts, people are beginning to question what we're doing down here._

 _If people think we can just leave when the 180 days are up, they're insane. The radioactive exposure would still be potent enough to fry everyone if the Vault seals are breached that early. The whole point of the All-Clear was to receive additional instructions from the main office._

 _I don't know what to do. I can't open the Vault. I can't expect our supplies to last forever. I just have to keep everything under control until the All-Clear…_

 _April 29th 2078_

 _A faction led by the security personnel have turned on me, demanding they be allowed to leave the Vault. Idiots. I will not open the door to be irradiated to death out there._

 _I'm consolidating the remaining supplies, putting the staff on lockdown. We're going to have to start prioritizing who deserves what little food we have left. I've been too damn generous with the rations._

 _If people don't like it, well, that's fewer mouths to feed..._

Dipper shook his head as he exited out of the logs, looking down at the skeleton and wondering what did him in. Starvation? Betrayal? Suicide?

He clicked the command of opening the exit to the vault exit, turning around as the door slide to the side. There was no use sticking around. He ran down the corridor, footsteps echoing as he entered the area where the vault door was. He didn't remember it but he wasn't in the room when it closed.

It was obviously meant to block out any radiation that made its way down from the elevator. The top of the elevator was sealed behind them meaning this was more of a backup then anything. He went over to the console, frowning as he would need admin permission to open it.

"Shi-" he took a step back and heard a rattle. Looking down he saw he had missed the skeleton in the lab coat. On its wrist was what he needed. A pip boy….

He picked up the device, examining it. It was a computer for the wrist, somewhat big and bulky but not enough to be an inconvenience. He had always wanted one but never got around to it.

It was meant to be the ultimate tool. Geiger counters, Health status of the user, a radio, a map, a journal, and a way to list ones items.

Mabel had wanted one too, mostly because it was able to play games on the go…..Mabel. Was she...she couldn't be dead...right? He had already lost Mother...Mabel and Dad couldn't be gone too.

The rational part of his brain knew that the odds weren't good...they weren't even bad. They were terrible. He always listened to this part of his brain, it's what made people praise him and he loved it, being acknowledged.

He hated this part of the brain right now. It told him this his family was dead….and even if they had survived they would be older. Here Dipper was, still looking 18. The skeletons meaning it has been at least 8 years. That's 8 years of time with her he will never get back.

He shook his head of these negative thoughts. He had to get outside, meet up with a policeman or someone of authority. Get things figured out. He plugged in the Pip boy for a second, unlocking the console and allowing him to open the door.

There were alarms at first as the door slide to the side, letting out the screech of a machine that hadn't been taken care of. He walked through it, to the elevator that he remembered getting on. It felt like only a few hours ago that he was on this platform, descending into the earth. The button was on the side of it, ready to be used. He looked above, it was faint but he could see the top. The metal doors blocking him from the outside world. Once he pressed that button they would open up.

At that moment he felt fear. Fear of the unknown and uncertainty. The world he had left behind was bright and colourful, trees with leaves changing colours and birds heading north. He knew it wouldn't be the same but..he didn't know how much different. He looked back from where he came from. He could always head back..crawl into the pod and wait for some help to come. It wouldn't be hard. He blinked….

And he pressed the button.


	3. Its All Over but the Crying

**OH WOW CHAPTER 3, LETS GOOO**

 **OKAY WARNING/HEADS UP**

 **THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS/COMMENTS BTW! Its part of what motivates me to get these chapters out! Mabels fate seems to be everyone's worry. I have a few ideas but we'll just wait and see won't we?**

 **My goal is at least 1000 words per chapter. Would you guys rather 2000 words but slightly longer waits? This chapter was gonna be longer but I felt it was better I ended it where I ended it. Chapter 4 should be soon.**

A robotic voice spoke up.

"Enjoy your return to the surface and thank you for choosing vault-tec."

The ground shook under him and he struggled to keep his balance as the platform started to rise beneath him, he could hear the roof above him start to slide open. As it got closer and closer to ground level, Dipper was busy planning on what he would do. First things first was to find some sort of authority, police most likely. After that his main goal would to be find anyone he knew. His first step in that goal would be his home. He closed his eyes as the elevator stopped. This was it, the moment of truth.

Dipper expected it to be bad. He had expected it to be like something from those nuclear preparation tapes they were forced to watch. What he didn't expect was the hell he saw.

The ground was hard and dry, there was no colour to it. No green grass or bright flowers. It was all brown and any plant life was scarce. The trees were all dead. Not a single leaf to be seen, just branches struggling to not break and fall. He could see his neighbourhood from on top the hill he was on. They were ruins, collapsed and worn down. There was no one. The only sound he could muster was a shocked whimper as he walked off the metal and onto the ground, the dry brown grass crunching under his feet.

Okay cancel seeking authority, he doubted there would be any left. He had to get home. He started to retrace his steps from when he ran to the vault, taking in the scenery but stopped at the gates entrance. He stared down at the small group of skeletons, including one in a tattered and torn uniform. The soldier that had let him in. The rest were ones in dresses and suits..his unfortunate neighbours. He never really spoke to them, he would rather stay in his room and read, but as he stared at the skulls he felt regret. He only really remembered their names, not their likes..their lives. He crouched down and sighed. Now they were left to rot, nobody had cared enough to bury them properly. He couldn't do much, he lacked a shovel or any sort of tool. All he could do was mutter sorry and hope they weren't in pain for long. Was Mabel and Dad like this? Bones left in the middle of nowhere. Did it hurt? He had no idea how close the bomb had been dropped. If it had been close enough they wouldn't have felt anything, just seen a bright flash and then..nothing.

For some reason he wasn't comforted by this. He got up and went back to walking, careful to not step on anything as he made his way to his street. The pavement was cracked but still there. If you looked close enough you could still see the faded paint of white lines.

He almost missed it. His home looked like most of the houses. The wall to the backyard had collapsed, leaving a giant hole beside the backdoor. A crushed plastic pumpkin was beside the front door, the once bright orange now dull and sun washed. He walked in, careful not to trip on the crushed and shattered floor tiles. The furniture gave ratty a new meaning, but was surprisingly in decent shape for surviving a war. The air smelled of rotten wood and stale bread.

"M-Mabel?...Dad….?" he called out as he looked around for skeletons on the ground floor. He didn't find any and thanked his lucky stars. He would look in the basement and upstairs after he scouted this floor for a note or supplies.

He opened the fridge, grabbing the only thing that wasn't open or rotten. Nuka-Cola. Mabel's favourite drink. Dipper looked at the label with a small frown, he doubted it was any good but he might as well bring it incase water was in short supply.

He dug in the closet and found his school backpack. It had seen better days but lacked any holes, making it just what he needed. He slipped the bottle in and put the bag on. There was no note on the counters or floor so he headed to the basement. It was surprisingly intact. No skeletons or bodies here either. He started to snoop around. It seems like someone had already been here as the safe was cracked open. He let out a small curse. At Least that meant he wasn't the last human alive. The thought lifted a brick from his shoulders he was unaware was there in the first place.

The basement and ground floor were a no go, leaving upstairs as the last option. He looked at the wooden steps before slowly making his way up, testing each step to make sure it didn't collapse under him. Upstairs had taken the most damage of all the floors. Part of the roof had given in, making him have to climb to reach his room. The bathroom had no walls at all, you could only see the pipes that had managed to stay standing. He didn't have to enter his parents room, he could see it all. The bed was torn and stained while the dresser had been smashed to firewood.

His room had taken a fair bit of damage. The window was shattered and most of the posters had fallen or washed away from rain. His terminal was what surprised him. Unlike the fridges or lights, they had their own built in battery. It seemed intact so out of habit he pressed the on button...and it booted up!

"Oh wow.." he sat down, thankful the chair only creaked under him, not breaking.

Unlike the pip boy, computers weren't capable of images. All they were were bits of codes and text. Green text on a black background. It was just like he had left it.

' _A keystone species is a species that's key to an ecosystem, if removed the ecosystem would undergo dramatic changes. Examples of keystone species are'_

Another regret overcame him. He would never finish school, never get to hand in the project. Out of some need for something normal, he started typing. Finishing his science report to the best of his ability. He clicked save and the machine started to process it, the low buzz increasing in volume leaving Dipper wondering why it was struggling to save. Had dust clogged its circuits? The answer came to him when he saw the dates. It had went from the 23rd of October, 2077 to….October 1st...2287. The machine had been calculating how much time had passed between saves.

Dipper stared at the pixels in silence, the only sound being the faint buzz of the terminal.

"No...no way….no bloody way." He made the obvious conclusion that it had made an error. They weren't perfect, and surviving a nuclear war was bound to make a machine glitch. He got up, turning the machine off with shaky hands. It couldn't have been 210 years...two hundred...and ten..years.

It made sense, it made so much goddamn sense. He hated it. He hated how much sense it made. The fact he was walking around with his pip boy warning of radiation meant it had to be long enough for the effects of the bombs to wear off. He teared up. For the first time in 210 years, he teared up. Everyone was gone, even if they had survived the bombs they would have died of old age.

For the first time in 210 years Dipper felt utterly alone….

For the first time in 210 years, Dipper laid down on his bed and cried.


	4. Something Lost, Something Gained

**Shoutout to the people leaving comments/reviews! It's you guys that inspire me to update these as fast as I do! Thank you all for the compliments! I go back and reread them more then you would think~**

 **I love reading your guesses but I won't say if you're right or wrong to avoid spoilers~ (Unless you message me, I will answer questions through messages to avoid spoiling those who don't wanna be spoiled) Keep them coming though!**

 **Also this chapter will include violence, I'll try and keep it T but if you ever feel like it needs to be upped to M, let me know.**

It had gotten dark by the time Dipper had finally let it all out. He rubbed his now bloodshot eyes and sniffed, not wanting to get out of bed. He just wanted to lay there till the end. What point was there to carry on? Everyone was gone and he had no idea how the world was now. Would his family blame him in the afterlife? They would surely understand...wouldn't they?...Was there even an afterlife?

He sat up, staring at his feet as a faint breeze rolled through the night, carrying with it the sounds of a conversation.

"-night"

Dipper perked up at that. People, and they sounded like they were getting closer. Despite the despair still fresh on his mind he knew he desperately needed someone to talk too. He forced himself up and back down the stairs and stopped behind the wall, peeking into the street. He may have been desperate for contact but he was still his paranoid self, meaning he needed to see who he was dealing with first.

Five minutes passed before a group of three men came into view and Dipper knew right away they were bad news. They were wearing leather armour much like the man that had taken his blood, however unlike him, they were absolutely filthy with dirt and...blood. That was blood on them. They lacked any visible wounds meaning that was someone else's blood on them, and with the smirks on their faces they had been the one to attack. Dipper nearly forgot to breath as he ears dropped on their conversation.

"What an easy job!" The man in the middle let out a cackle as he slapped his knee. Dipper could see from here he had missing and yellow teeth. He made a mental note to find himself a tooth brush at all costs.

"Did you see his face? 'Ohhh noo Please don't kill me!" The one on the left turned and spat on the ground.

Dipper knew he had to get away from these guys and fast. He slowly backed up and accidently moved a floor tile, causing a small sound to echo out as it scratched against the ground. Dipper froze before slowly looking at where the men were. One was gone and the other two were aiming shotguns his direction.

Was this the world's cruel idea of a joke? Have this happen right after he wished to rot on his bed. He grinded his teeth together as he weighed his options. To show himself would be a death sentence and dying by shotgun to the gut wasn't the way he wanted to go. Thinking quickly he slowly reached into his bag, grabbing the nuka cola from earlier and slowly moved away from where they were looking and into the living room. He couldn't leave his house as they would see him..unless he lured them away. They were busy looking at the kitchen area allowing him to throw the bottle from the living room window. It shattered against the opposing house and the raiders ran over to it and inside, out of view. The radiation must have lowered their IQ, that or mankind has really gone down hill. Just as he was about to turn and make a break for it he felt someone kick his legs out from under him.

"There you are you son of a bitch!" the missing raider spat out as he glared down at Dipper.

Operating now on pure instinct he kicked the guys shin with all the might he could muster, scrabbling to get up as the guy uttered another curse and reached for his shotgun. Dipper knew he couldn't run from the bullets so he pushed him, the floor tile the raider was on moved back, causing the raider to fall. Unfortunately for Dipper, he fell forward landing on top of the teen. Dipper tried to push him off but he was too heavy combined with the fact Dipper didn't have the strongest arms around. The man pulled something out of his belt. A knife, he had a knife and was about to gut Dipper like a fish.

Gun...In that brief moment of fear he remembered he had grabbed a gun from earlier. He didn't even recall grabbing it from the jumpsuits pocket. He didn't even remember aiming and pulling the trigger. As far as Dipper knew one second he had been struggling for his life, and the next he had someone's brains and blood splattered all over him. The attacker now had gone still, allowing for Dipper to move the body off him and stare at his now dirty hands.

He had just...he had just….He felt sick once more and dizzy. The world around him started to blur, the only thing in focus being his bloody hands. That had been a life and he had just ended it. Dipper was never the best kid. He was vengeful, passive aggressive towards those who had wronged him but this? This was the next level. A part of him had died along with that man, a part he would never get back.

It was only when the voice of the other two cut through the silence did he get up and run. He ran and never looked back.

The world has changed for the worse, there was no doubt about that. Dipper sat down beside a broken down car and wiped the sweat off his head. His legs hurt from running and now that the adrenaline was gone, he needed to take a break. He was hungry, thirsty, and he needed to wipe the blood off himself before he went mad. He knew this street, and if he was correct, in the ditch beside the road was a small creak. He hoped it was still there. He took a few more minutes to gather his breath before forcing his aching legs to move.

The stream was still there, he thanked his lucky stars as he kneeled down beside it and started to wash his hands and face. It was only the soft ticking coming from the pipboy that stopped him from drinking. He raised the device to his face and moved the dials so he could view the radiation screen. The water was contaminated. Not by much, the pipboy said he only had about 6 rads on him, but it was enough to make him quickly dry his hands and face off, not daring to drink it. If he remembered safety class correctly, he could reach about 200 rads before side effects became known. Was all the water and food irradiated? He would need to find some RadAway soon if that was the case.

He looked down as his stomach gave a rumble. He hadn't had anything to eat in 210 years. Where would food be? There was the supermarket near by but that would have no doubt been raided. Maybe he could find something that had been overlooked or missed? Would it be worth it? He could walk there, open the doors, then be gunned down by a tribe of raiders who made it their home... Maybe there were towns out here! Humans were a social species by nature. He had no doubt that there had to be places where civil humans lived. English appeared to have survived so there should be little problem communicating. He thought about the area, trying to decide places where someone would set up a town. He could travel down the highway and look for signs. It wasn't that far to be honest.

He got up and started to drag himself to the road, hoping that whatever settlement he could find wouldn't be far.

Dipper never had good luck.

If the pipboy clock was correct it took him two hours of walking to find something, and it wasn't even a town! On the edge of the road was an old motel. He had probably driven passed it multiple times back before the bombs dropped but he never really paid enough attention to it. He likely would have kept on walking if it wasn't for the open sign that was infact, turned on, piercing the darkness with its neon lights. He cautiously walked towards the building, keeping an eye out for any possible threats.

The door creaked open as he slowly poked his head in, surprised by the lights that were turned on and the fact behind the counter was a woman reading a magazine so..casually. The normality of the situation made him stand still in surprise, he was there long enough that the redhead looked up from some issue of ' _Astoundingly Awesome Tales '_ and spoke up.

"Are you in or out? You're gonna let some bloatflies in."

He had no idea what a bloatfly was but he stepped in anyway. Standing there stiff before raising his hand in greeting.

"Hello…."

"Hey, welcome to the 'Lucky Dollar' food, drink and bed. What can I get you?" The way she said it made it sound like she was ready to fall asleep.

Dipper noticed that the counter had a few stools in front of it, they seemed to have been an addition lazily tacked on. They must have been trying to convert this to a bar of sorts. He slowly took a seat and looked around.

"Wheres the uh..menu…?"

She raised her eyebrow at him before bending down and opening some drawers, pulling out a very stained paper and handing it over. He looked it over and crinkled his nose. There was….Squirrel on a stick, Giant rat meat, Brahmin steak, Sunset Sarsaparilla , nuka-cola, and a ton of alcoholic substances. He didn't even know what a Brahmin was!

If it wasn't for the fact he was starving he may have skipped supper all together. He noticed the numbers beside each name and frowned. 15 bucks for squirrel? That was crazy!

"I'll have the...uh...squirrel and….sunset sarsaparilla...please." he took off his bag and dug in it, finding the money he had earned from mowing the lawns of the elderly couples in the neighbourhood. He put the bills on the table and tried to brace himself for his upcoming meal.

"We don't take pre-war money here."

"Uh..pre-war money…?"

"Did you just climb out of a vault or so-...wait that suit of yours isn't something you scavenged?"

"Yeah no...I just sorta got out of a vault yesterday..er..today, it hasn't been 24 hours yet." He awkwardly fiddled with his fingers as she got up, raised her finger in a 'wait here' gesture and walked off.

As soon as she was out of sight Dipper started debating if he should run, who knew who she would come back with. Did he say something bad? Were former vault-dwellers wanted criminals out here? As every nightmare scenario played in his head the redhead returned with some old guy. The two were talking to each other.

"He has no caps? Then why haven't you kicked him out yet."

"He's from one of those under ground bunker things, he's wearing one of the suits you have on display."

The old man went to speak up again but then saw Dipper watching him. It was awkward silence before Dipper spoke up.

"I See you're busy I'll-" voice cracked, he cleared his throat. "I'll just go.." he went to get up but the old man spoke up.

"Now wait a second kid. You've just come out of a vault, you have blood all over your suit, and you think we're gonna let you walk out of here?"

Dipper closed his eyes, waiting for the sound of a gunshot.

"Wheesh kid, relax." Dipper slowly opened his eyes and saw the man roll his eyes, arms crossed. "So you're from vault 111 eh?" Dipper nodded. "My great...great..something was from that vault. Apparently I'm named after him" he waved his hand dismissively. "Didn't know there were still people there...that explains why Ford always stopped by and muttered stuff about vaults"

Dipper looked down and quietly muttered. "I'm the last one." He paused and looked back at him. "Ford…?"

"Yeah Ford. My brother, always stopped by with his assistant. Saying he was running some tests at the vault." Dipper looked at the ground, he remembered having his blood drawn. Could it have been by this..Ford?

"Where did he go?"

"Ford? Last time I checked he had went off to the city." He shrugged. "Now look, from what I understand you seem to be hungry but lack caps….that's a rather nice pistol you got. Tell you what. I'll give you that squirrel you ordered, and a bed for the night. Tomorrow you gotta do me a favour." He grinned and Dipper knew this was gonna end badly but he was tired and hungry, what choice did he have.

"Deal."

"Great! Your rooms the third one.' he dropped the key on Dippers lap and walked off as the girl got his food ready. "Pleasure doing business with you."


	5. Pest Control

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Dipper flopped onto the bed with a sigh, the taste of cooked squirrel still on his tongue and bits of the meat still stuck in his teeth. He couldn't lie to himself however that it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be, and his now full stomach was thanking him.

He stared up at at the roof as his head rested on the filthy pillow. He finally had the time he needed to sort things out. It had been 210 years since he entered the chamber. The world had been scarred horribly, leaving a wasteland in its wake. He may very well be the last living Pines on the globe. Humanity had gone on and they seemed to use bottle caps as currency. It made sense when he thought about it, they were all around and durable.

Once he had lain down on the bed it hit him how tired he was, he hadn't slept since waking up in that pod and was in obvious need of rest. He closed his eyes, at first he could only think of that raider he had..he had…

It took Dipper a good while to finally get some sleep. His dreams were plagued with violence and screams.

"So what Stanley wants you to do is just clear out this old basement of pests. Easy right?" The redhead from behind the till said. The two had been walking towards some of the ruined buildings for a bit, only now she decided to tell him what they were doing, likely to make sure he didn't try and bolt.

"If it's so easy why haven't you done it?" He looked around before looking back at the girl, when they had left the Motel she had said her name was Wendy. She was rather tall, nearly as tall as himself. He didn't need to tilt his head to look her in the eye. She was a lot more prepared than he was. She was wearing a leather jacket, a hat to block the sun from her eyes, and a big ol backpack. There was a knife strapped to her leg, a shotgun poking out from the bag, and two pistols on her belt. Dipper knew it would take sheer stupidity for him to try and run at this point.

"Because the loot is behind a door, a door that can only be opened by a certain device." She looked at his pip boy and he slowly nodded. "Stan won the information in a poker game, apparently there's a huge stash of pre war goods behind the door." She raised her hand for him to stop as she crouched down behind a car and started to scout the area. Dipper watched in admiration as he crouched down, following her lead. Once she was satisfied that there weren't any threats she moved to the building. It looked like an Mister Handy robotic store. Dipper stayed close behind her as she stepped into the place. She took out one of her pistols and shot a giant cockroach.

"Darn Radroaches. Alright keep sharp, nightstalkers love this area."

"Nightstalkers...are those the pests you mentioned?" Dipper grabbed his pistol and bit his lip, nervous.

"Yeah, they aren't much so don't worry. Just don't let them get too close, I only have so much antivenom." She walked towards a door on the far right, opening it and headed down the stairs. He only spared a quick glance around the building, noting its peeled wallpapers and broken computers.

"V-venom?" He quickly ran after, not wanting to be left alone. "These 'nightstalkers' are venomous? What are they?"

"Coyote rattlesnake hybrids. They seem to be expanding their range as before you could only find them in the Vegas area." She peeked around a corner, before walking again.

"Coyote….and a snake...I don't think nature works that way."

"Hey don't ask me, they're from pre-war times."

Dipper frowned but kept going, it was no secret that scientists were desperate to win the war, desperate enough that gene splicing wasn't that far fetched. What benefits coyote-snakes would have in a fight? That was up for debate. He bumped into Wendy when she had stopped suddenly. She grabbed her shotgun and aimed it ahead of them. Dipper stepped to the side and saw what he assumed a nightstalker was. It had a coyote's body but the head of a rattlesnake. Its tail started like the canine but ended in the rattle of the reptile. It was hissing at the pair, tail rattling and Dipper could hear the pawsteps of more coming. He grabbed his pistol and aimed at where the sound was coming from. Five bullets left.

"What do w-" He was cut off as she fired and the creature hit the wall, lifeless. Two more took its place, leaping at the humans, jaws open. Dipper could see in horrible detail they had the teeth of a coyote but the fangs of the snake. He pulled the trigger and got one, Wendy getting the other. He let out a nervous chuckle, lowering his gun. "That wasn't so bad…"

He spoke too soon as the one he had shot, and presumed was dead, shot back up, digging its fangs into Wendy's leg.

"Shit!" She went to grab her pistol but the nightstalker dragged her to the ground, she used her good leg to start kicking it but the thing wasn't 'letting go. Dipper in a panic aimed his gun at the thing once more, firing shot after shot until he was out of ammo. Even in death the thing had a grip on her. "Don't just stand there. Help me pry open its mouth." Dipper crouched down and grabbed the top jaw, pulling upward. It took a bit of muscle but he managed to get it open enough for Wendy to slip her leg out. She let out another curse and Dipper couldn't help but feel bad.

"Sorry…" He muttered, rubbing his arm as Wendy dug in her bag, pulling out the anti-venom she had mentioned earlier and didn't even hesitating to apply it.

"Don't say sorry, just learn to double tap. It will save your life more than once." She wrapped a bandage around her leg before getting up and testing how much pressure she could put on it.

"Does it hurt?"

"Like a bitch….but come on, we haven't got what we came for yet."

"Don't you think you should sit down and rest?"

"Plenty of time for rest later" She waved her hand dismissively and started down the path the nightstalkers had come from.

Dipper looked around, noticing all the lockers were open, likely from previous scavenging hunts. He kept his gun out, even though it was empty it made him feel slightly more secure.

"Remind me to teach you how to use that thing."

"Huh?"

"You obviously have never used a gun before."

"Well..there really was never the need before…" Dipper quietly muttered as they walked up to a door, beside it was a console much like in the Vault. He grabbed the cable and plugged it into his device, it took a bit but there was a ding and the door slide open. He unplugged it and looked at Wendy. "And I consider it a good thing."

"Well not knowing how to use a gun means death out here." She looked up and down, likely looking for traps or security before she deemed it safe enough to walk in. "Jackpot.."

"Whats Jac-oh thats the jackpot." They had walked into what appeared to have once been where the expensive robotic parts were, but now it had been transformed into someone's stash. Guns nicely placed on a workbench with piles of ammo beside them. Hung on the wall was a medical kit, looking unopened. There was also some food on a shelf, though he was sure it was radiated. Maybe if there was a Radaway in the health kit he could eat it with no fear. He went to open the pack when he felt cold metal on the back of his head.

"If you want the goods you'll need to pay for them." Dipper couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"But I helped you get this stuff! Without me you wouldn't have been able to get in here!"

"Yeah and that's why I'm gonna teach you how to use a weapon. Now back away from the loot and wait near the door."

Dipper watched helplessly as she took everything worthwhile. At the end of it there wasn't even a crumb of food left. He dragged his feet behind her as they went back up, passing by the nightstalker bodies.

"Don't look so hard done by..Consider this a valuable lesson."

"Yeah..trust no one?"

"Nothing is free…" She spat on the ground as she looked around once more. "If someone offers you a deal too good to be true, then it is." It was at this point Dipper noticed she was limping.

"I really think we should stop…Your leg needs a break."

"I really think you need to mind your own business…" She stopped at small former bus stop to look around before digging in the bag and passing Dipper a hunting rifle. "Up ahead is a radstag. Perfect target practice." She gestured to the two headed buck up ahead. One head was on lookout as the other ate the dead grass. It looked mangy with its patches of missing fur and dry skin. He could have sworn it had an extra pair of legs hunched against its chest like t rex arms.

'Bambi needs to stop drinking the radioactive water…" he muttered as he looked at his newly acquired gun. He frowned as he noted it was the same type that dad liked to use when he had went hunting for whitetails. Dipper wasn't a fan of hunting, too boring...but he did love the taste of deer meat, however he doubted this 'radstag' tasted at all like the meat he had grown to love.

"Okay…..What's nice about this is you have time to prepare, most fights is just blind firing. Aim for the vital organs. Don't be afraid of the gun…" She adjusted his position while muttering tips, only letting him fire once she was satisfied with how he was doing.

'Fuck you Bambi…" He pulled the trigger and heard the bleat as the radstag fell on its side. He felt a pat on his back as Wendy went to get the meat and he couldn't help but grin. For a moment he could imagine that he had just gotten his first buck with his dad…The grin soon faded as he remembered he never would get that chance again. He could only hope that somewhere, somehow, his dad had seen him.

"It's not bad at all. You can drag it back and maybe Stan will give you a discount on its meat." She tried to hide the wince as she got back to walking. Dipper was slowed down by how heavy this thing was! "In a firefight you won't have the gift of time and preparation but those tips I gave you for the gun should work..you'll need to practice...a lot...before you actually stand a chance against twenty raiders."

Between the wounded leg and the heavy animal, it took twice as long to get back to the motel, the stars were out once again and Dipper noted that without the light pollution, it was a rather pretty sight. She kicked open the door with her good leg.

"Stanley we're back. Kid's in one piece surprisingly." She tossed her bag of goodies onto the till and sat on the stool as the old man walked into the room holding a bag, not at all looking impressed. Dipper not wanting to be outdone, tried to put the animal on the counter..it failed and only managed to get bloodstains on the already ruined floors. He let out an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. Wendy grabbed the bag of what Dipper assumed to be caps from Stanley and walked off, likely to rest in her room. Stanley watched her go, scratching his chin as he sipped from his nuka-cola.

"She got injured. How?"

"uh..Nightstalker..bite to the leg."

"...Hey kid how do you feel about a delivery job?"


	6. Had to Ask

**I got myself a beta reader, hopefully that means the overall quality will improve~**

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 **And thanks for the reviews/comments! I'm glad Wendy is in character as I was worried about that ^^' The war will be better explained as the story progresses.**

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Dipper crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow at Stan's offer.

"You want me to do what now?"

"Look sooner or later you're gonna be visiting cities. I'm asking that you make that sooner and drop a package off for me. Nothing dangerous."

"And….what's in it for me?" Dipper gave a small smirk, he was starting to get the hang of things out here...well he thought so anyway. Wendy's words repeating in his head. Nothing was free and he wasn't nothing and neither were his services. Stan rubbed his temple and sighed, tapping his foot against the dusty floorboards.

"A 100 caps once you return with the goods he gives in exchange." He crossed his arms to show he wasn't willing to haggle. Dipper decided to do so anyway, in the mood to push his luck.

"150 caps…..something to defend myself with….Food and water for the trip...and medical supplies!"

"...Hold on…." Stan burst into laughter, slapping his knee as Dipper watched unamused. After roughly a minute of laughing he paused and looked at him. "You..you're serious?"

"Yes! I need the medical supplies, food, water for basic survival..and the whole 'something to defend myself with' speaks for itself." He crossed his arms. 'And from what I can understand this trade you arranged seems very important. Wendy can't go so you need me." Stan waved his wand in dismissal.

"Kid you're making yourself seem waaayyyy too important here. You know how many people would love this job for a 100 caps? I'll give you 50 caps and let you keep that hunting rifle plus some ammo."

Dipper frowned, he opened his mouth to protest but a glare from Stanley made him shut it and instead he muttered out the word 'deal'.

"Great! Details are simple." He shoved an old cardboard box shut with duct tape into Dipper's hands. "Don't open it, don't damage it, don't look at it the wrong way...oh don't shake it to much either." Dipper gulped as he slowly and carefully put the item in his bag, zipping it up. "You're gonna go to Megaton and head to Moriarty's Saloon. A man calling himself Pug will be there. Drop the item off, grab what he gives you and come back here. You don't need to talk to him so don't. If you aren't back in say….a week...I'm assuming you either died or ran. If I found out you ran…." Dipper nodded, getting the message.

"No" Voice crack causing him to clear his throat. "No problem s-sir."

"Good..now give me your arm."

"Give you my what?!" Horrible thoughts of cannibalism raced through his head. How was he supposed to survive without an arm!? He got ready to scream as Stanley grabbed his wrist only to see that Stan was meddling with the pipboy.

"Alright, just follow the marker on the map. Easy peasy."

Dipper raised the device to his face and saw that it had been updated with a little pin in a location north of here. All he had to do was follow it.

"Uhh thanks….Is...Is this by any chance the city your brother went too?"

"Likely, if not he for certain at least stopped there for supplies."

"Thanks…" He looked at his pipboy again and bit his lip. The green lines of the map standing out against the black screen, giving just enough light make it nice to have in the dark. He played around with the buttons on the side till he reached the status screen. The display showed the vault-tec mascot standing still with that cheeky smile. He appeared to be wearing a vault jumpsuit despite the fact the only colours were green and black. There were little arrows pointing to each limb, head, and chest. Besides each arrow was a percentage telling the user how damaged the part in question was. Dipper happily noted he was in tip top shape besides the fact he was tired from that trip but he didn't need a pipboy to tell him that. He gave Stanley a sheepish smile.

"...It will cost you 25 caps of the 50."

Dipper spent the night on the decaying bed bitterly swearing revenge against the cheapskate.

He was woken up when sunlight streamed through the broken window and onto his face. Seeing as how he lacked a blanket to block the light he was forced to move around. The bed was uncomfortable enough as it is meaning that once he moved he would no doubt find it nearly impossible to go back to sleep. With a groan he wiped his eyes and looked around the room once more. The floor was somehow even worse than the one by the till. The once polished brown oak was now a dull cracked grey with a thick layer of dust in many of the corners. The closet door hung on by a single hinge. Dipper found it impossible to tell if it had been broken by the nuclear bombs or was the result of some careless scavenger. The tvs screen was shattered and the rabbit ear antennas on top were bent and twisted. The curtains were shredded and torn, only a few scraps were still hanging.

He opened the door to the room and winced at its creak before looking at his pipboys map. It would take a bit to walk there, and he had no idea what was between him and his destination. He looked back at the motels main building and paused.

Wendy was sitting down in the chair behind the till, cleaning her knife while her legs had been kicked up onto the table. She was wearing the same pants that she had been wearing yesterday but you could see a bandage under the bite marks in the fabrics. She looked up from her blade as Dipper entered.

"Hey Wendy…" Dipper rubbed the back of his head. "You..aren't mad are you?"

"Nah, just upset about the caps lost. Serves me right for letting my guard down."

"Right right...your leg feeling better?"

She looked down at it and shrugged, slipping the knife back into its rest. Dipper slowly noded.

"I could give you some of the caps I earn? I'm only making 25 so you can have 12?" Wendy looked surprised at this causing the boy to frown. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No no its just...You don't see that often in the wastes." She gave a small smile. "Try not to lose that bit of ya." She opened a drawer and dug in it before slapping a magazine on the desk. "Like I said however nothing's free so here. Take it. I don't wanna be in debt to you" He did, putting it in his bag. "Well I wish you luck in the wastes tell you get back and eh...try not to die."

"Didn't plan on it." He looked around, grabbing an old dusty hat that was hanging on a coathanger. Before Wendy could protest he was out the door, adjusting his new article of clothing. He didn't get a good look at it but it blocked the sun so that's all that mattered. Giving the pipboys map a quick look he started his long journey.

He lasted 5 minutes before becoming bored. Despite his initial encounter with the new state of the world, there seemed to be large periods of nothing. There was nothing to look at but ruined buildings, dead trees, dry cracked ground, and the rusted cars you would see alongside the road. He looked down at his pipboy and filled with the dials tell a radio screen came up, much to his surprise there was a signal for one! Likely just old automated safety message telling one what to do incase of a nuclear bomb. He let out a dark chuckle as he tuned in, he doubted duck and covering would have saved anyone.

"-pher here! Did you miss me? Admit it you missed me!"

Okay that was not a pre recorded voice. He lowered his hand and countinued walking. Seems the radio towers survived to some extent. Someone must have found one and started their own radio show.

"Megatons little cult seems to have developed the nasty habit of drinking the radiated water. What is with those idiots? I would pity them if I wasn't laughing..actually no wait I wouldn't pity them no matter what!...Well as much as I would love to keep talking and as much as you would love to keep listening I think I need a small break. You don't get a say on the matter so listen to some tunes!"

Dipper gave a smile as a familiar tune came on, he didn't even bother hiding the dance in his step and soon he found himself singing along. He needed it, a little bit of his old life.

"They call me a wanderer. Yeah, a wanderer,I roam around, around, around, around!'

The ground crunched under his feet as he kept going. Singing along with each song that came on. If he closed his eyes he could have sworn he was in his living room, mother making supper as Mabel gushed over the newest gadgets. Dad would come home, hang his hat on and talk about his day at work. They would sit down and enjoy a family meal as the radio played the very songs he was listening too. They were all okay and there was not a care in the world for that brief moment of time.

"It's all over but the crying...And nobody's crying but me"

It was only at the mention of crying did Dipper realize that a few tears had escaped his eyes. Wiping them he looked around. Up ahead was a crumbling bridge overhead. He would need to go under it to follow the route on his map. The hills on the side of the road were much too steep to climb meaning he had two choices...straight ahead or going back. With a gulp he slowly reached for his gun and proceeded, making sure to turn off the radio.

It was a choke point, there were plenty of abandoned cars for cover and hiding spots. If there were gonna be raiders anytime soon it would be there. He crouched down behind an old rusted Ford Nucleon and peaked over the hood. He didn't see anyone but that meant little. Taking a deep breath he crouched over to the next car, then the next. He was about halfway there when he saw them.

A group of three raiders wearing armour not unlike the first group he had come across, and just as dirty. They seemed to have set up a camp here as they were roasting something over a fire, joking about their latest raid. Dipper crouched back down and for a moment all he could see was the red and pink of blood and bits of brain matter. He shook his head clear and forced himself to take deep calm breaths. He could worry about this stuff later. He paused and analyzed the situation. He could keep try and launch a stealth attack, he could likely get one down by a headshot and try his luck with the other two...or he could try and sneak, meaning he could get away scot free..or risk taking on all three.

He started to tiptoe past them, watching them to make sure they didn't suddenly decide to take a stroll in his direction. What he didn't notice was the little round item he stepped on. Said item started to beep.

Dipper didn't even hesitate...he started to bolt, covering his ears as the landmine went off behind him, next thing he knew he was dodging bullets and running for his life. He could hear them behind.

"WHERE YA RUNNING OFF TOO?"

"NOW NOW THAT'S NO WAY TO REACT TO NEW FRIENDS!" Followed by a hyena like cackle.

Dipper ducked into an abandoned gas station on the side of the road, hopping behind the counter. Staying on the road would have meant death from bullets. He grabbed his gun and held his breath, only then noticing the pain in his leg. He looked down and winced, a bullet had grazed his left calf. Only scraped the side thank god but it still hurt. He looked down at his pipboy and saw that the formally 100% leg had now dropped to roughly 87%. Still okay to run but would hurt to do so. He would also need to clean it before it got infected. He would need to worry about that later as at that moment his attackers walked in.

"Now where did he go…"

"This better not take long, Our molerats gonna burn!" One of them whined then yelped as Dipper heard a slap ring out.

"Shut it idiot...We aren't alone in here….and I'm not talking about the brat."

Dipper's eyes widened, he didn't have the time to even check for threats. He closed his eyes and took deep calming breaths. Okay….he was under the till in an old gas station with three raiders looking for him. He was injured and he had no idea what else was in here. What could go worse?

"Found him!"

He felt the cold metal of the end of a gun pressed against his adam's apple.

Why did he even ask?


	7. Just Another Day in the Wastes

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!**

 **I'm still debating if Dipper will enter any ships, I may have some one-sided stuff.**

 **Also sorry for the slow updates, rl took over ;w;**

 **Now let's head straight into it shall we~**

Dipper was forced to come out of hiding with his hands up as the raider smirked in victory. The other two walked over, the apparent leader of the group cackling as he leaped over the counter.

"Well fucking hell...You actually managed to find him." Dipper mustered up a glare but otherwise remained passive. He was scared to even breath as the end of the shotgun was still pressed against his neck. The leader walked over and grabbed his chin, tilting his head from side to side as he examined him. Dipper was not ready for what happened next. The man grabbed his jaw and forced him to open his mouth. "Look at these pearly whites! Jesus christ, this guy must be from one of those snobs! I bet our asses we can get a good ransom out of this fellow."

"If he's one of those snobs why is he out here?" The one holding the gun spat out, eyeing Dipper's bag and gun.

"Hell if I know...maybe he thought he could run away and make a name for himself." The leader finally moved his filthy hands away from Dipper's face and he couldn't be all the more thankful. Despite his own hatred for baths he never let himself go so long he stunk like these guys did. Obviously his disdain showed on his face as the leader sneered. "Oh so you think you're all high and mighty? That we're beneath you? Is that it?" He pulled out an old rusty knife from his belt and snicked as Dippers face went pale at the sight. "Yeah I thought so." He paused, playing with the blade as he debated something, before looking around and sliding it back into its sheath. "Let's get out of here, then we can _play_ with our newest friend."

The leader gestured to the third and most quiet of the bunch to take Dippers gun. He hesitated before grabbing it and looking at Dipper. Dipper frowned but slowly let go when there was a jab from the one holding him at gunpoint. They let him keep his bag on, likely making a pack mule tell they got back to their base. He felt the gun move from his neck to the back of his head and with a kick to his spine, he was forced to walk out of the building between the three raiders. The quiet one pausing and looking back.

"What is it Jeff?"

'Jeff' pointed to the door they had come out from, and the shape that was making itself known. This is what they must have been what they saw earlier when they said they weren't alone.

"Shit...we woke it up!" What was it? From what Dipper could tell it looked like a dinosaur. No he wasn't joking. It stood on two legs and with a somewhat hunched back, it had long human like arms with long sharp claws instead of fingers. Every moment it made outlined the muscles it had under its thick scaled hide. A long tail curled around the floor by its feet, they sported the claws like its hands did however one was raised almost like the raptors in museums. Its face was no doubtingly reptile with curved horns on each side of its face, mouth pulled back in a snarl. It towered over them as it stepped out into the open...no doubt over nine feet.

"DEATHCLAW!" The leader pulled out his gun and started shooting at it in an attempt to fight back, this only served to make it angrier as it roared and slashed at the quiet one. Dipper could see his intestines spill out.

The one holding Dipper at gunpoint quickly jumped away leaving Dipper the one closest to this...thing. He ducked just as those claws slashed at where his head had been moments ago. He rolled away, ignoring the pain in his leg from the movement and turned his head back just in time to see the creature advancing towards the leader. He went to get up when someone grabbed his shoulder and yanked him up. The gun once again pressed against his head.

"Move and you're dead." He looked around and started backing up, forcing Dipper to follow. He looking around obviously terrified….Something told Dipper these deathclaws were pack animals. He was forced to watch as the leader was ripped limb from limb by this mutated lizard, blood and muscle tissue spilling across the cracked ground as this 'deathclaw' turned its attention to the remaining two. Its eyes were milky and Dipper came to the conclusion that this creature was blind meaning it was using its other sense to track them. If he could reach a body of water..maybe he could hold his breath and wait tell the thing gave up...the only problem was reaching said water before he was sliced to bits...that and getting away from this gun.

While he struggled to keep his cool the man behind him was only a heartbeat away from an utter panic. He pushed Dipper to the ground and bolted, hoping Dipper would distract the thing and he was in fact correct as the lizards nostrils flared and its head moved to look down at the boy. Dipper didn't dare so much as breath as the hulking beast pulled its lips back into a snarl once more. Okay Dipper, stay calm and think. He looked around at the ground slowly grabbing a rock. It was blind, not deaf. If this trick worked before maybe it might just work again. He aimed and tossed it against an old metal garbage can, causing a ding to ring out. The creature's head shot around and Dipper slowly started to back up, grabbing more rocks to throw.

The deathclaw sniffed the air, Dipper hoped he was downwind but just to be safe he threw another rock. This time the creature went to investigate and Dipper managed to hide behind a a boulder and count his lucky stars. The raider appeared to be gone meaning all he had to do was wait tell the monster left or went back to sleep.

It took a good while as the deathclaw wanted to eat its kills but it finally headed out west, Dipper made sure to make a mental note to avoid that area. He scanned the area and slowly snuck over to the front of the building, shoes crunching on the dirt underfoot. The corpse of the silent guy was torn and ripped apart, cloudy eyes wide in horror and mouth open in a silent scream.

Dipper gagged and turned away, he got ready to walk away but paused and forced himself to look back at the body. He needed supplies….

Crouching beside the body he rolled it over with a grunt and started to dig in the pockets. He got his gun back and started looking for anything else. He found some much needed ammo and some weird inhaler with brown gas in it. He slowly and carefully pocketed and dug in the pockets. Mentats! He grabbed the small container and grinned. While he had never used these himself he had no doubt they were worth something here. A simple drug used to help improve creativity and memory, it was rather popular at school. He pocketed that and stood up, brushing off his knees. The raiders unseeing eyes stared up at him and Dipper was quick to get back on the road.

He still had a day's journey ahead


	8. Best Friends Until the End of the Day

**HERE WE ARE AGAIN, LIFE HAS BEEN BUSY BUSY BUSY AND I'M SORRY FOR THAT.**

Dippers boots crunched on the hard soil that had piled up on the cracked pavement of the former roads, the only sound besides the blowing of wind and the creaking of branches on long dead trees that struggled to fight off the breeze and avoid falling to the ground. Dipper would almost say it was too quiet but after the whole fiasco at the gas station he appreciated the moment of calm, even if it was before a storm and knowing his luck there certainly was a storm coming.

He wiped some of the sand off his pipboy's screen and gazed at the map. He was getting close to the place known as 'Megaton' and every step only served to increase his curiosity. This place didn't exist back when things were normal, the location on the map had been a clearing waiting for some company to buy it and fill it with either stores, houses, or whatever they felt the need for. Meaning that someone had created a city out of things they could find post-war and that thought alone sprung images to mind. Would it be made of wood? Clay and mud? Old scrap metal? The possibilities were nearly endless...and that was just the buildings! This would be his first time seeing an actual settlement besides that sorry excuse for a motel. There would be people...maybe even Stan's brother..Ford…

He paused and finally acknowledged his sore tired legs and the darkening sky, there weren't any buildings nearby with an intact roof, however there was a billboard to his right that provided shelter against the wind and dust and that was enough for him. He sat down beside the rusted metal beams and a wave of panic hit him. What if the wind picked up and knocked the sign over right on top of him?! What if-

He shook his head, no...There were plenty of other things more dangerous than an advertisement for 'Jingles the moon monkey's official cereal'. He sat down and pulled his gun onto his lap, staring down at the barrel as his stomach twisted and he suddenly felt nauseous, memories of blood and adrenaline flashed through his mind. He had too..he had too right? There was no other way. It was him or the raider, life or death, kill or be killed.

That was this world wasn't it? Kill or be killed...Dipper would have to get used to it or he would end up a body in the ground, decaying tell someone came across him and wondered what his story was...or just skip the wondering and go straight to the looting, leaving his bones to bleach in the sun.

He held his head as he struggled to calm down, deep easy breaths...The first time wasn't his fault and the gas station was the raiders to blame, they couldn't have just let him go! They had to chase him and they had god knows what planned…

He let out a whimper at that train of thought..What would they have done if they hadn't been killed by that mutated lizard? He had no doubt it would be utterly horrible…

"Easy Dipper...deep breaths...deep breaths…"

He pulled the gun closer, eyes scanning his surroundings. Off in the distance hills raised from the ground, the only shape besides old wood from buildings blown away in the blast from the bombs and the shapes of cars left to rust. Beside him was his bag with the package and his supplies. He dug in it to see if there was even so much as a crumb for him to snack on. Nothing, go figure.

He didn't dare sleep as he rested his back against one of the billboards support beams, he was too open and would be utterly defenseless if found by whatever lived out here. No, this was a simple break for his legs and then he would be on his way again, turning on the pipboys flashlight..Flashlight was a bit of an overstatement as all that feature really did was turn the brightness up so that the area around you was more visible, it light up roughly five feet around him and made him visible to anything in the darkness, but it was better than walking blind.

Despite his promise to not sleep he find himself struggling to keep his eyes open and suddenly found himself regretting not playing more sports, if he was in shape this would have been much easier to handle.

Just as his eyelids were about to touch there was movement, jerking him out of his drowsiness and aiming his gun.

"C-COME OUT!" His voice cracked in the middle of the first word.

Out from behind one of the cars on the road stepped out a...pig?

No not a pig, the horribly mutated version of a pig. The size of a large dog with two sets of tusks poking out of the creature's snout, both sharp and ready to gut him like a pig…..wait…

Before he could continue that train of thought, the pig stepped forward slowly with a snort and looked ready to charge, boils and warts on its sides bobbed with each movement it made, strands of hair moving in the breeze.

Dipper struggled to load the gun, trying his best not to panic as it charged towards him...Just as he was about to aim the pig stopped and sniffed his hand.

"...Uhhh…."

It stuck its head under his palm, like a dog wanting attention and its curly tail wagged happily leaving a dumbfounded Dipper to wonder if he had drank radiated water unknowingly.

"So...you aren't gonna kill me…?"

He got a snort in response so he slowly and carefully started to pet the pig that could kill him at any moment. The swine sat down beside him, content and he let his shoulders drop slightly, relaxing but not letting his guard down. Pigs were cool, Mabel had always wanted a pet one, even had a name planned…

He forced those memories back and looked down at the animal.

"How does the name Waddles sound?"

He heard a grunt.

"That's not a no…?"

Snort.

"Waddles it is...Oh god..I'm talking to a fucking pig, next stop crazy town choo chooooo!"

But...he had to admit, it was nice having something not trying to kill him, scam him, or send him out on some dangerous quest, instead having them enjoy his company. Though, it was sort of gross when he accidentally touched one of the pigs boils. Everything had its downside.

The newly named Waddles stretched its front legs before laying down. Its ears twitching once in awhile, making sure nothing was sneaking up on it. He assumed the expression on its face was relaxed and that helped sooth Dippers own worries. He wasn't going to sleep but he didn't need to keep his body ready to bolt and could instead allow his muscles to relax. A few hours would do him wonders.

A few hours had turned into the entire night, but he didn't blame himself. He had tried to start walking again but he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, and so he quickly returned to the resting spot, deciding to stay in an area where he defend himself and not be out in the open. Waddles had decided to follow him and Dipper was more then happy about that, though he was trying to not let it show.

Now that he was on the way he looked at his pipboy and guessed that Megaton was only an hour away. He looked back up and enjoyed seeing the blue sky, crows flying by every once in awhile, looking surprisingly unmutated from what he could see.

"Maybe... somethings are still the same." The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile and he turned his radio on, the melody from the speakers made time go a lot faster. Waddles was good for more than just company as his mere presence seemed to scare away mangy dogs that would have other wise eagerly leapt for Dippers throat.

He knew the thing in the distance was Megaton before he even read the spraypaint on a old rusty road sign. There were metal walls made out of old bits of airplanes, cars, and whatever could be found, that enclosed the buildings inside. The buildings themselves were made of the same scrap metal the walls were, with the occasional wood or brick wall standing out. He couldn't see much of them besides the roofs as the walls blocked ground view. There was a clear cut entrance however with a protectron in front, moving its arms up and down as it buzzed out automated greetings.

Dipper paused and put his hands on his hips at the sight. Protectrons still worked? They were honestly one of the weakest robots that RobCo had built. They had two legs that supported a bulky cylinder body, that body in turn was the support for the arms that had lasers ready to fire. The lasers themselves served to harm, but one would need a few shots of them to the head to actually be killed...still he found himself wary, who knows if someone had upgraded its weapon abilities…

The possibility of that was slim, RobCo had to make sure they couldn't be reversed engineered by the russians or chinese. The robots were designed to self destruct should their insides be tinkered with. This was the case for all their robots, to the military grade Mister Gutsy all the way to the helpful family servant Mister Handy…Dipper almost learnt that the hard way. If father hadn't come home in time to stop twelve year old Mason from digging into the family's unactivated Mister Handy then...well...He doubt he would still have both hands. Needless to say their days of owning a Mister Handy were over.

Their days of being together were over...

He clapped his hands together and sighed.

"Ready Waddles?"

Waddles responded by running off into the wastes.

"...Gee thanks…"


	9. Dr Ink

The metal gates that protected the community inside let out metallic screeches as levers tugged and the doors gave way, moving to the side to allow the newest arrival in. Dipper limped into the settlement, the dust he kicked up tickled his grazed leg causing the wound to sting. Right….he needed to get it cleaned, and fast.

Before he could look around his surroundings a man made his way over to him. Dipper turned his head looked the guy up and down. He seemed to be wearing some sort of green trench coat with a cowboy hat one could get at a dollar store, complete with a fake sheriff badge. His dark skin looked rough as if he had just walked out of a sandstorm, and in this world Dipper didn't have a hard time believing that was the case.

"Name's Lucas Simms, sheriff and mayor if the need arises. You looking to cause trouble?" The man rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, no doubt judging Dipper and how hard he would be to take down if things got messy. The younger boy gulped and rubbed the back of his sweaty, dirty neck.

"I came for supplies, n-no need to get rough." He let out nervous laughter and tried to not let it show how much he was sweating, the man's gun looked clean and ready to fire, by the time Dipper grabbed his weapon he would already have a bullet to the brain, covering the metal walls behind him with pink matter.

"You treat my people nice and don't cause any trouble and you're welcome to stay as long as you like. Anything I can help you with?"

Dipper went to shake his head but paused, he had no idea where anything was in this place. The buildings were crafted out of sheets of rusted metal and stairways showed that there was just as many buildings above that had been built into the side of the crater…..wait...crater?

"Is this place built into the side of a hill or something…?"

"Nope, just built around an old undetonated nuclear bomb."

"...i-is that all?" He gave a weak laugh that faded when he saw Lucas frown. "Y-You're serious!? Are you people CRAZY?!"

"The only harm it has done is radiate the puddle of water it's in. I don't dare touch it but I mean, it hasn't gone off in 210 years what makes you think it will now? Though….it is troublesome warning every newcomer...tell you what,. If you can turn it it off there may be some caps in it for you…. May help me sleep better at night. Just keep it between us two for now. The Church of Atom worship that damned thing."

"Keyword may…" Dipper groaned and rubbed his temple. "Look I'll consider it..just….can you tell me where Moriarty's Saloon is?"

"Oh that place….can't miss it. Head up..and up..it's the building on the highest ground. Its two stories tall and covered in neon lights. Can't miss it."

"Thanks….." He paused. "Have you seen or talked to a man named Ford? Older guy?"

"Too many people come in through here I can't keep track...your best bet would be to ask around."

"Okay..right...thanks"

Dipper let out a sigh and limped past him. He had been about to ask where medical supplies would be located but it wasn't hard to find out. Right past the sheriff had been a metal building plastered with old medical posters that he had seen a billion times at his doctors office. The word 'Clinic' was flashing with dying purple neon lights.

He pushed the door open and peeked his head in and cried out.

"Hello?"

"Less you're on death's door I'm busy."

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows and walked in. The so called doctor was sitting down on a chair reading an old dirty magazine, turning his head towards Dipper with an annoyed expression.

"You sure about that?" Dipper huffed.

"Are you a doctor?"

"No… but-"

"Then you don't know if I'm busy being a doctor."

"L-Look I just need my leg patched up."

"100 caps."

"I guess universal healthcare was too much to be expected…"

"Look do you have the money or not?"

Dipper paused before slowly digging into his bag and pulling out the mentats he had gotten from the corpse earlier.

"Would these work…?"

The doctor raised his eyebrows and grabbed the packet, counting the white pellets inside before nodding. "Let me see it."

Dipper sat down and rolled up the pant leg and winced looking at the wound. There was a thick red scab that looked like if he made one wrong move it would break and cause the bleeding to resume.

"It's not infected, you can thank your lucky stars for that." He said as he grabbed what looked like a needle of sorts had Dipper not known better. The device in the doctor's hand was a handy little thing known as a stimpack. They were like needles, containing a highly effective healing medication that, when injected, would help the body in healing minor wounds to an incredible amount. The invention of them had saved countless lives, especially during the fights in the war….

The war…

Dipper looked around at the rusty walls of the building and felt a flicker of rage ignite in him. The war was the reason the world was a giant shitshow. It had been called the 'Resource War' before the bombs dropped and he briefly wondered if that was the name they used now…

It didn't matter.

The war had been a struggle between dying nations to get the last bit of resources from a drained planet no matter the cost. Oil was worth its weight in blood and, despite the attempts of a few world leaders order, world peace soon fell into chaos and desperation. Allies turned on allies and battles were fought.

Dipper had done his best to stay informed despite the mass censoring of news done by the government. Everyone knew that the chinese had invaded Alaska, in fact that's where his father had server using the new power armour. Power armour was the pinnacle of military infantry. They basically turned the user into a walking tank armour wise at the cost of mobility… well that had been the case with the T-4Dd versions, he had little knowledge about the newer models. But then again, did it really matter? New or old the world was ruined...

Dipper gave a small snort that turned into a yelp when the doctor jammed the stimpack into his leg before proceeding to wrap up the wound.

'Try not to get shot up again and be easy on the leg. Will scar but otherwise good as new… Now get, I don't have time for idle chatter."

Dipper just nodded, getting up and wincing. He grabbed his backpack and went out the door. Now he had to find that Saloon… Compared to the journey here this should be a piece of cake…

Right?


End file.
